Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 13, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

If you want to lecture me on the unfairness of women’s treatment in twelfth century England, I recommend offering a course on the subject at some local university and making it open to the public so that I might attend. But it is unlikely that I will appear. It is not a riveting topic because, after all, we all know it already. Gee, the church didn’t like women? Really? No kidding. Huh. That’s certainly news. Wonder why I hadn’t noticed before?

Amazing stuff this information. Did you More...

26 comments like (24 people liked it)

Aug 06, 2008

LJ rated it:

THE DEATH MAZE (aka The Serpent’s Tale) (Hist. Mys-Adelia Aguilar-England-1172) – VG+
Franklin, Ariana – 2nd in series
Bantam Press, 2008, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780593056509

First Sentence: The two men’s voices carried down the tunnels with a reverberation that made them indistinguishable but, even so, gave the impression of a business meeting.

King Henry II refused to let Adelia Aguilar return to her home at the School of Medicine in Sicily so she is living in More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2008

Don rated it:

This is an okay historial murder-myster-whodunit. The main problem is with the main character; I never liked her. She also has problems with what she believes; in one instant, she's giving a poor girl a cross necklace and in the other, she's saying things like she doesn't want anything to do with a God who allows [insert whatever it is she's railing against at the moment], but then later prays for God's protection. Confusing. The author also repeats herself ad nauseum. Yes, we know what the main More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2009

Linda rated it:

Who knew one could find murder mysteries placed in twelfth century England? A very palatable way to learn history.

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2010

Joyce rated it:

The Serpent s Tale[return]Ariana Franklin[return][return]2nd in the Adelia Aguilar of Salerno series.[return][return]After more or less accidentally successful in delivering a baby, Adelia is visited by one of her favorite people--Prior Geoffrey--whose thankless task is to escort the rebellious pathologist to a meeting with the Bishop of St. Albans--better known to Adelia as Rowley Picot, her former lover and father of her daughter, Allie. The meeting is contentious, since Picot is insistent t More...

0 comments like

Mar 24, 2009

Jill rated it:

In an time that hasn't even conceived of fingerprints or DNA Adelia Aguilar is an expert in the science of death. Of course she must hide her expertise, pretending to be the assistant to her Arab assistant so as not to be branded a witch. This is, after all during the time of Henry II and his rebellious queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Adelia must find who killed Henry's favorite mistress. If it was the queen, England might once again be plunged into a terrible civil war. All signs p More...

0 comments like

Jan 06, 2009

Nicole rated it:

The Serpent’s Tale by Arianna Franklin is the second book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series set in Medieval England during the reign of King Henry I (Plantagenet). I am not providing details of the first book, Mistress of the Art of Death, or a summary of The Serpent’s Tale.

In The Serpent’s Tale the author conveys more a sense of delight in telling a tale of murder than in Mistress of the Art of Death, which I felt more a sense of dread and doom throughout, plus the child More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Jeanne rated it:

King Henry's mistress, Rosemund, has been poisoned and his wife, Queen Eleanor is being accused. Adelia, recruited by Rowley, must prove Eleanor's innocence before the country is brought to civil war.

In some ways, this seemed a much bigger story than Franklin's first book (Mistress of the Art of Death) because of the themes.

Franklin presents a very real, unromanticized look at the time and the people in it, including Thomas Becket and Queen Eleanor. She clearly illustra More...

0 comments like

Nov 20, 2011

Richard rated it:

Rating: 3.5* of five

This mystery novel is the second outing for Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, Mistress of the Art of Death, in (reluctant) service to His Majesty Henry II Plantagenet, and based in and around Oxford.

It's a fun book to read, and Adelia is fun to spend time with. She's a character with a complete lack of history, as she's a foundling, and she's invented herself as a fish out of water as a result. She's simply not anyone's but her own, unlike most people. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Laurie added it

Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine were fascinating figures of their own time, the twelfth century, and they continue to be the subject of countless histories, biographies, and historical novels. The Serpent's Tail is a forensic thriller about an Italian woman who has been trained as a coroner by her adoptive father. She was called to England by King Henry in a previous story, and now has been summoned to solve the poisoning of Henry's mistress, fair Rosamund. It is obvious that Rosam More...

0 comments like

Jun 19, 2011

Mz. rated it:

I believe that I enjoyed this book more than the last, perhaps because the characters were already established and so there was less background and more action. Even when they were locked away and snowed in at the abbey, it continued to be entertaining. While these books certainly would not qualify and high literature, they are fun examinations of history and they are, most definitely, historical fiction, which the author readily admits too.

I know some other reviewers of the book scoff More...

0 comments like

Jan 25, 2011

Rhiannon rated it:

Book two of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series was an exciting read for a number of reasons. The first being that it wasn't involved in the great jam accident the first book was unlucky enough to be part of, and the second was we get to meet Henry's formidable consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
I know what you're thinking...Jam?
On the way to visit my mom, a couple of weeks ago, there was an explosion of Peach Vanilla Bean jam in my suitcase, the most unfortunate victim More...

0 comments like

Jun 28, 2010

Gail rated it:

Book two in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series. Adelia's been run out of Cambridge by the jealous doctors. She's got a daughter, an infant. And she hasn't seen Ally's father, Rowley something, the Bishop of St. Albans, since King Henry II made him a bishop. She likes her peaceful life in the fens of Norfolk, but now the bishop is dragging her out of it to make her find out who has poisoned Henry's mistress Rosamund. If Henry blames the death on Eleanor, it could mean a new civil More...

0 comments like

Jun 24, 2009

Meredith rated it:

I was, by the barest whisper, sufficiently curious about the heroine from "Mistress of the Art of Death" to get a copy of this from the local library. It's a fast read - I churned through it in about a day - but man. I was disappointed by its predecessor, and this one's not all that great either. Franklin's writing is more than a little ham-fisted at times, and it gets repetitive. Again, I wasn't too surprised when the big reveal came along at the end.

Also, I'm coincide More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2009

Yondalla rated it:

First, this was a mystery book. Mysteries are rarely great literature, but the can be great reads. I like mysteries when I care about the main character(s) and find the mystery itself intriguing. I don't normally work hard at trying to figure out who did it. I am content to let it unfold. If for all my not trying I still figure something out that was supposed to be a big deal, I get annoyed.

I really enjoyed Mistress of the Art of Death. It was heart-pounding, OMG good. Not literature, More...

0 comments like

May 17, 2009

Kara rated it:

Adelia picks up a nemesis in Book 2 that will, I suspect, come back later in the series. She also develops a somewhat better working relationship with Henry II by the end of the book. Henry continues to shine - I liked the hypotheses that the fallout from Becket's murder taught him patience - a cruel patience, but still, patience.

Eleanor... she doesn't thunder off the page the way she should. Eleanor comes off as rather spoiled and self involved. Plenty of time is spent discussing th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2011

Lauren rated it:

two things happened in this installment that made me incredibly happy:
1. ariana franklin only felt compelled to mention once or twice the unhappy tragedy of thomas becket and henry's "side comment" to his knights about getting rid of the bugger.
2. adelia's full name only gets mentioned twice

two of my biggest gripes about the first book in the series were the previously mentioned items that franklin threw in the reader's face any time there was a chance to do so More...

2 comments like

Sep 24, 2011

Rusty rated it:

A good medieval mysteries read! Adelia and Rowley find themselves in turmoil as they try to solve the murder of Rosamund, a mistress of the king. Eleanor, the queen, is strongly suspected of having arranged the murder. A basket of mushrooms containing the death cap was delivered to the castle when the only person present is a simple servant who accepts it, knowing that Rosamund loves mushrooms. A snowstorm traps the suspects and Rosamund in a convent after Rowley disappears into an icy cold rive More...

0 comments like

Jun 22, 2009

Sensitivemuse rated it:

So I just finished The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. I've read her first book featuring Adelia Aguilar in Mistress in the Art of Death and really enjoyed that one. The Serpent's Tale however just wasn't as good in my eyes. There were two cases to solve and I was trying to see if they were related somehow and was trying to figure it out - which probably got me frustrated and made me not enjoy the book as I should have. Anyhow, as usual my guesses were wrong (I'm not that good at playing dete More...

0 comments like

Apr 02, 2010

Heather rated it:

Any regular readers of my blog know that I am a fan of mysteries. While I choose more literary fiction when my brain can handle it, when I am super busy and stressed with work, home, and life in general a good mystery is like comfort food. The authors I tend to read write characters and stories that are predictable in the best sense of the word. Slipping into an Alex Delaware novel or a Myron Bolitar story is like putting on a comfy old pair of jeans. But sometimes a mystery writer will surp More...

0 comments like

Apr 22, 2009

Kathryn rated it:

In April 2008 I read Mistress of the Art of Death, by the same author, a novel which dealt with Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar, a native of Salerno, Sicily, trained one who can determine cause of death (and incidentally as a doctor), who ended up in 12th century England at the request of King Henry (I), who had requested an expert who could prove that the children being killed in York were not being killed by the Jews. In this volume, she is once again called into service to determine who More...

0 comments like

Sep 26, 2011

Shannon rated it:

This is an enjoyable series to read- but I suggest they are read in order so that confusion is minimized.
The book stays focused on the Adelia once again and there are several characters that also appeared in the first book. Once again, there is a mystery at the center of this plot, but chances are good you'll figure out the ending. So, a bit more intrigue would have been a good thing.
On the other hand, the reader is spoon fed some things and cutting back on that would be lov More...

0 comments like

Nov 20, 2009

Nancy rated it:

This was a rather crowded book. A lot of characters, some of whom did not seem to add to the story but did add to the volume. To be honest, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, maybe a little paring down with more focus on the interesting characters (including Gyltha and Mansur) and the relationship between Rowley and Adelia (which could do with some actual relating) would have appealed more to me as I got a little fed up with Adelia (she is somewhat unrelenting and dreary at times)a More...

0 comments like

May 06, 2009

Laura rated it:

In Mistress of the Art of Death, author Ariana Franklin introduced Adelia Aguilar, a 12th century physician with a speciality in what we now call forensic science. Franklin's obviously thorough research and excellent writing skills were put to good use in the creation of Adelia, her friends, her world, and the "case" she is called upon to resolve.

In The Serpent's Tale, those research and writing skills are still evident, but the people and places they are meant to describe More...

8 comments like

Nov 08, 2009

Debbie rated it:

This is Ariana Franklin's second book featuring medieval forensic female doctor Adelia Aguilar. I enjoyed this as much as the first book, Mistress of the Art of Death. Like all good sequels, rejoining the characters from the first book was like getting together with family.

Adelia is summoned to investigate the death of Henry II's mistress, Rosamund. More deaths follow and an extremely cold winter finds Adelia trapped in a convent with the estranged Queen Eleanor, numerous mercenaries More...

3 comments like

Apr 30, 2009

Savannah rated it:

Not a bad little historical mystery. However, the "mystery" isn't all that difficult to decipher: the assasssin himself gives away "which" institution hired him within the first 5 pages, the "why" is evident by page 42, and "who" comes clear as soon as he is introduced, in the hundreds. What is so interesting is that this novel maintains your interest ANYWAY, despite pretty much knowing everything about the mystery. The settings are so heavily atmospheric, More...

0 comments like

Feb 22, 2009

Mary rated it:

Set in the time of Henry II, i.e., Henry Plantagenet, who at 19 married Eleanor of Aquitaine who had divorced Louis II of France. The marriage combined vast areas of France with England and produced 5 sons and 3 daughters. Henry II raised one of his sons to a second kingship parallel to his own. Kings sired many additional children and has many affairs. One mistress, Rosa Mundi, Rose of all the World, Rosamund of the song/poetry, claimed queenship for herself and reopened England/France to c More...

0 comments like

Jul 06, 2011

Sarah rated it:

The Serpent’s Tale continues the crime-solving adventures of Adelia, doctor to the dead and new single mother. Her babydaddy is a man of the cloth now, a source of considerable angst to our heroine. Unable to return to home in Salerno under the orders of King Henry II (who wants her around in case mysteries pop up), she idles away her time in the fens, taking care of her child and attempting to doctor the living. Then the king’s mistress, Rosamund the Fair, dies after eating poisoned mushrooms a More...

0 comments like

Nov 22, 2010

Jean Marie rated it:

The second in the Mistress of the Art of Death series is a different feel from it's predessor. Where the first novel is much more dramatic and dangerous this one is more a of a wait in fear and in suspicion story. Adelia, as she was in the first, is still the rebellious odd ball with a feministic view, but she's more tempered with having a child now but alas that makes her more dangerous. I loved, again, Franklin's portray of Henry II and I adored how she painted the illustrious Eleanor of Aquit More...

0 comments like

Dec 07, 2011

Jamie rated it:

I enjoyed much of this book. The writing is quite good, particularly the dialogue. As with the first book, the author does a great job with the historical setting, depicting life during a harsh medieval English winter. I continue to enjoy the main characters. (The recap of the first book seemed unnecessarily detailed, but perhaps that's just because I read it not long ago.)

Unfortunately, the mystery centers around the legend that Eleanor of Aquitaine poisoned her husband's famous mis More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

reviews